Spiraling Sideways
by Silent Sage
Summary: AU. Warren is a werewolf. Will is a wereleopard. They are totally incompatible, but it's okay, they're both very stubborn.


**Spiraling Sideways**

**Disclaimer**: Doesn't belong to me but Disney. Now, if only they could make a Sky High 2.

…

It's not that Warren purposely considered antagonizing the Were-community at large, but the indifference he felt toward them was counterbalanced by the extreme exasperation he felt when focused on keeping the bunch of Weres, that had (in)conveniently claimed him as one of their own, out of trouble.

Warren was an Alpha and being an Alpha meant he was considered a leader.

Better yet, Warren was an Alpha werewolf of the highest linage. His father was the leader of the city's werewolf population, which also included grandfather, and great-grandfather, and his great, great-grand uncle; superiority ran on his father's side. His mother's line was no less intimidating than his father. No less than two members of her family at all times were situated on the governing council that oversaw all werewolf activities and (the tentative at best, precarious at worse) race-relations with their wereleopard brethren in the tri-state area.

When he was younger, his parent's friends and admirers often told him that he was bound for greatness.

After The Betrayal, they all left.

And Warren didn't mind.

It's just that -

Wereleopards, Warren's main –_only_ – group of friends _had_ to be wereleopards.

(Actually, _they_ befriended him first. He didn't have to return the offer of friendship. He did. Begrudgingly).

Another reason why he had to watch out for them: by befriending him (a _werewolf_ whose _father_ massacred half their race within the city), they placed themselves on the frontlines for scorn from their own kind.

Warren mentally sighed. To say that karma was sending him mixed signals was an understatement.

Having wereleopards as friends was interesting – if not amusing – but most of the time, it involved keeping them out of trouble.

The order of annoyance went like this:

Ethan: Bless his little geeky, little wereleopard soul, Warren actually got along with him - - when he wasn't attempting to blow up the science wing with a farfetched experiment, that is.

("Warren, c'mon, this jerky will revolutionalize the way we ea-!" "No.")

Magenta: It must be the constant amount of black in their respective wardrobes that that initially led to their first amicable one-on-one conversation. The fact that she hated him for his (naturally) red-streaked bangs made him smile.

Zach: It's _Zach_. If not for Magenta, the werewolves and wereleopards would probably have banded together (the drama geeks, in particular) and tan his hide.

("Goddamn Zach, stop messing around with the glitter before you – "Uh oh." "Sigh. Run!).

Layla: Just last week, he and Will had to pry the female wereleopard from picketing at a local congressperson's rally about his earmarked sponsorships from genetics laboratories.

Which finally led to the most troublesome of the mismatched wereleopard group, plus one werewolf. (Vaguely, he remembered Ethan petitioning for a change in their group name. He was pitching: The Were-Collaboration of Newfound Harmony.)

The 'one werewolf' being obvious: Warren.

(Like he couldn't find _another_ excuse to be ostracized by the werewolf community, he had to be different and hang out (more like followed) by a horde of overly cheerful wereleopards.)

The most troublesome wereleopard of all: Will.

Apparently, befriend one of them – befriend them **all**.

He hadn't even meant to seek Will out! Rationally, they were supposed to be moral enemies.

They met freshman year at Sky High. Warren knew due to his absences (he was going through a rebellious stage, ok?) that he was forced to stay a year behind despite the fact that if given the opportunity (the school and their stupid need for attendance), he could easily test out of whatever freshman classes he ditched and be in his normal grade level. He heard from the rumors circling in the gossip mill that the child of Steve and Josie Stronghold was entering high school.

It was common that werewolves and wereleopards intermingled in classes – segregation was _so_ three decades ago – which consequently meant that the chances of him meeting the wereleopard runt would be high, even more so due to the fact that they were in the same grade.

Inadvertently running into the progeny of the wereleopards that threw his father – the most revered Alpha werewolf of the clan – into a life sentence in The Hole was less than desirable.

Warren mulled. He could…you know, _challenge_ the other.

But.

He really wasn't in the mood to be placed under suspension, or _worse_, expulsion due to a fight that would more than likely break out when that good-for-nothing, spoiled, entitled_ to everything_ were-leopard opened his mouth, most likely to boast how his parents took down Alpha wolf Baron Battle.

Warren inherited the majority of his genes from his father, physically at least. At sixteen, he was already on par with the majority of the adults in regards to stature and build, and he was still _growing_. It was hard not to look at Warren, werewolf or wereleopard, and sense that he was pure Alpha. Being an Alpha male meant nothing in regards to his mom when she cornered him in the kitchen the night before the start of school.

Alpha females were in a league of their own.

His wolf attempted to stand its ground, although the outcome had Warren hunching his shoulders as if he was still a pup, ready for a lecture except – except for a lecture, she just pressed the palm of her hand against his cheek.

Leaning forward, her forehead lightly touching his, her brown eyes – his dad used to comment that he inherited her eyes – staring into his with a love that never died, even when he was going through his rebellious, lone wolf stage.

"Be good," she whispered.

"Okay," answered Warren. "No promises."

The corners of her lips quirked upward.

Pause. "But I'll try."

She laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling in fondness, "That's my boy."

The "I Will Not Pummel The Stronghold Kid and Get Expelled" plan was turning out relatively well. The Plan (for short) survived an English and Psych class, and even Biology. It was a two-part class. Part One kept the two species together, as a way to show that "Yeah! We may be different, but biologically our DNA is 98.2 the same, so no attempts of enacting a genocide on the other race out of any of you" but Part Two, they would split into two classes that would allow them to understand what made them different and how it would affect their particular species in the long run. Think of it as Sex Ed: Were-style.

Lunch break was right after Biology. Instead of sitting in an overcrowded lunchroom, Warren stowed away to eat by himself in the library. He and the librarian were on good terms. Manners mattered to the aging Omega wereleopard, not his heritage.

Warren reveled in the quiet. An occasional shushing from Mrs. Martin to an occasional Were stomping through the library was the most noise he had to endure. It was cake compared to inadvertently listening in on a female Omega werewolf gossip obnoxiously (loud) with her friends a table away about her _personal_ issues left little to the appetite.

Sometimes, Warren cursed his amazing genes.

While munching on a venison and grilled onion sandwich, Warren's ears perked. He could hear the smallest amount sound of rustling in the back of the library.

While chewing on the last bite of his sandwich, Warren got up. His curiosity was getting the better of him as he heard a slight grunt.

Turning into the corner of D – F of the nonfiction aisle, he spied a freshman – a little wereleopard with the scruffiest brown hair he'd ever seen.

Warren inhaled, his nostrils flaring with the sweet-spicy scent of the other – an Omega wereleopard, huh? That was rare.

He was on his tiptoes, his left hand braced against a lower shelf, his rounded, tawny ears pressed flat against his skull, his teeth biting against his bottom lip as the fingertips of his right, outstretched hand grazed against the green spine of the book that was just barely out of his reach.

Warren's eyes darted to the spine - - he had that same book in his book bag.

Warren may be known as a menace in school (for undue reasons that were out of his control) but it did not mean he was without a soul. Creeping behind the unassuming wereleopard – the other's attention focused entirely on the book, despite the fact that it looked like he had given up from the looks of it, his feet planted on the ground and staring mournfully at aforementioned book – Warren leaned around him and easily grabbed the book from the top shelf.

"What the-"

"Here," said Warren. He mentally sighed, bracing himself.

Turning around, the wereleopard's easy-going grin melted away, replaced with a slightly open mouth accompanied by the widening of his eyes that could rival dinner plates.

Warren expected him to run away or at the very least hyperventilate.

Instead, the other gently grasped the proffered book from his lax grip.

"Uhm." The wereleopard looked at him before darting his eyes downward at the book. He scuffed the floor nervously with his tennis shoes, his fingers gently playing with the edge of the book, before looking back up at him. The bridge of his nose was tinted pink, but his face was set with an impressively determined expression that was almost wolf in nature.

"T-thanks for your help." His blinked, nervously swiping his bottom lip with a pink tongue, "I really do appreciate it."

No shunning? No shrieks or terrified yowls of the second coming?

"You're…welcome?" Not Warren's most eloquent moment.

The wereleopard shot him another bashful, slightly fidgety smile before he took a step back just as the bell rang signaling an end to lunch.

Warren grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

They both had the same surprised expression on their faces.

"You," Warren began slowly, "don't know who I am?"

The brunette wereleopard tilted his head inquisitively to the side and gave him a once over before responding.

His smile was so sincere, it made Warren's stomach clench uncomfortably.

(And Warren realized it had been a very, very long time since someone other than his mother looked at him in the face with something other than mirth.)

"You're the… werewolf who gave me my book," the wereleopard said too easily.

Warren felt the corners of his lips quirk upward on their own, "I suppose I am."

He opened his mouth, wanting to know the other's name only to be stopped with the sound of hurried steps.

"William Stronghold, there you are!"

What?

"Layla!" The wereleopard turned around, his whole body language brightening as a female wereleopard bounded over to them with an equally pleased grin.

Stronghol-

"Will, you're such a slacker. I told you to checkout that book before class started, but no!" The female known as Layla, chastised good-naturedly, her grin hinting that she was used to him and his antics, "C'mon, we're going be late for clas-"

Her mouth snapped shut. Her faced paled the moment she really gave the werewolf behind her friend a second glance as she neared.

One blink later, a red and green blur had passed and suddenly she was right there between them. She had bodily placed herself between Warren and Will, bracketing Will so that he was behind her. She narrowed her eyes at the towering werewolf in suspicion, "What did you do to him?"

Warren parted his lips to respond.

Nothing came out.

Honestly, in regards to this situation, he didn't think he had the two neurons to rub together to form a coherent sentence let alone properly face down a protective alpha wereleopard and her boyfriend-friend-family?

"Layla?" Will frowned, his eyes darting curiously between the two Alphas. His hand was wrapped around her bicep (they were close, Warren noted) as if to stop her from pouncing him, "W-why are you-"

"Will," Layla turned her head slightly sideways to say to him, "He's Warren. Warren Peace."

"You're Steve Stronghold's kid?" Warren finally blurted. Smart.

"Oh," Will did that head-tilt thing that shouldn't have been endearing regarding the circumstances. "I am." His eyes locked with Warren, "And you're Warren Peace?"

Just his luck.

"Yeah," muttered Warren. "I am."

Their first meeting didn't involve shouting, fists flying, or teeth bared. No, it was a lot quieter than that. That is, until Mrs. Martin shushed them, causing the three teenage Were's to snap their attention to her. Which was followed by Couch Boomer busted into the library and shooed them off to class, muttering, "Goddamn it, I'm a teacher, not a babysitter!"

And somehow, they ended up in the same class.

Better yet, Will ended up sitting right next to Warren in history class.

* * *

><p><strong>SS<strong>: Um. I don't know how, but - - urr...I really wanted a were-fic. So...this is what I came up with. So, yeah. _badatmultitasking _Anyway, review and tell me your thoughts! Btw, I **hate** people who fave/alert my stories but are too lazy to review.


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